Delaware Taking Tough Stance Against Holiday DUI

Already this holiday season Delaware has had two deaths attributed to drinking and driving, but the Office of Highway Safety is hoping to make them the only ones.

This year, the OHS has five DUI checkpoints planned for the state, focusing on what they anticipate will be the heaviest traveled areas for New Year’s Eve party revelers in an effort to stop drunk drivers from getting too far. Anyone who is spotted trying to evade a DUI checkpoint will be stopped automatically and could face additional charges for evasion, plus DUI charges (which likely why they tried to evade the checkpoint in the first place.)

You can take a defensive driving course online to get the points off your license when you get a traffic citation, but unfortunately it won’t fix stupid, which is what you must be if you get behind the wheel when you’re anything but sober.

This past Christmas weekend, the OHS arrested 20 people for driving under the influence of alcohol. That’s up slightly from last year when they took 19 people into custody for DUI, and still too high for such a small sate. Last year the state saw 23 people arrested over the New Year’s weekend because of drunk driving, and they hope to curtail that number with the multiple DUI checkpoints and 90 additional “saturation patrols” will be conducted. That means Delaware police will be out in force to make certain everyone enjoys their holiday and gets home safe.

Delaware, being as it is nestled between Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is often just a crossing point for interstate travel. But out-of-state drivers are not immune to state laws against driving drunk. They aren’t impervious to personal injury as a result of it, either, nor are they blessed with ability to avoid hurting other people as a result of their own stupidity.

Defensive driving is no accident. Drivers need to be aware of their own limitations and the limitations of the person who might be driving next to them. If you’ve had a few drinks, or you plan on having a few drinks, arrange for a safe and sober drive home on your own. It will save you the time and expense of getting a ride to the local jail from the OHS.